AN emotional Paul Nuttall has hit out at the “co-ordinated, cruel and almost evil smear campaign” launched against him in the row over claims on his website about his experience of the Hillsborough tragedy.

The embattled Ukip leader has faced a fierce backlash and calls to resign as an MEP after it emerged the claims that he had lost close personal friends in the football ground disaster were false.

At the party's spring conference in Bolton, Mr Nuttall, who is trying to unseat Labour in the Stoke Central by-election, struck a defiant tone and vowed to fight on.

However, mobbed by press reporters as he left the stage, the party leader refused to answer questions about the Hillsborough row.

Mr Nuttall told the conference that he accepted the blame for the false claim, made on his website, that he had lost close friends in the footballing tragedy in 1989, which claimed the lives of 96 people and remains a highly sensitive issue on Merseyside.

He said: "Many people will notice that I've had a bit of a difficult week. This is two-fold, actually. Firstly, I take the blame for the fact that I failed to check what was up on my website in my name; that was my fault and I apologise.

"But I will not apologise for what is a co-ordinated, cruel and almost evil smear campaign that has been directed at me. It is based on lies from sources who have not been named. It has been a tough week for me but I will not allow them to break me and I will not allow them to break Ukip."

Looking up at the audience, he said: "I was also asked by two journalists yesterday if I still have the support of my party."

His words were met with a standing ovation and large cheers for the party faithful as one man in the crowd shouted "take that".

Taking his glasses off and wiping a tear from his eye, the party leader said: "I'm a bit overwhelmed. Thank you."

However, as he left the stage, escorted by security guards through a scrum of reporters, he steadfastly refused to say anything about comments made by millionaire Ukip donor Arron Banks, who had said he was "sick to death of hearing" about Hillsborough and accused some of "milking" the tragedy.

Mr Nuttall simply added: "I've said absolutely everything I have got to say on the subject. I was at Hillsborough; I've got witness statements."

The Ukip leader is attempting to overturn a 5,000 Labour majority in Stoke, a seat Jeremy Corbyn’s party has held since its creation in 1950. The next few days before Thursday’s vote will prove crucial on whether or not Mr Nuttall can make a breakthrough and give the anti-EU party its second MP.